BGN Insists Free Nutritious Meals Programme Budget Does Not Disrupt Health and Education Ministry Allocations
Jakarta – The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has refuted allegations that budget allocation for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme could potentially disrupt the budget ceiling of other ministries, particularly in the health and education sectors.
BGN chief Dadan Hindayana explained that the MBG programme budget has been allocated in accordance with each ministry’s spending functions, without reducing allocations to the relevant ministries.
He clarified that the budget for pregnant women, nursing mothers, and infants is included in the health function output details. Therefore, the recording is indeed within the health spending category.
“This is evidenced by the Health Ministry’s budget increasing from year to year, despite the 24 trillion rupiah allocated to the health function carried out by the National Nutrition Agency for 2026,” he added.
Dadan emphasised that the BGN and Health Ministry budgets remain separate in accordance with their respective authorities.
Similar explanations were also provided for the education sector. Dadan assured that the MBG budget does not reduce the budget ceiling of the Basic-Secondary Education Ministry (Kemendikdasmen) or the Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry (Kemendiktisaintek).
He explained that the budget for school children, including Islamic boarding school students and religious school pupils, is recorded in the education function output details.
“That is why there is 223 trillion rupiah in education spending, but it does not disrupt the allocation from the Basic-Secondary Education Ministry because it continues to increase year-on-year. It does not disrupt the Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry because it has also increased from last year to this year,” Dadan said.
“Additionally, it does not disrupt central government transfers to regions for teacher benefits because it has increased by 10 per cent from last year to this year,” he added.